Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Today's newsletter is about two perennial issues in Swiss politics: health insurance premiums and Switzerland's relationship with the EU.
On a lighter note, we bring you an unusual news item from a Bernese cemetery.
Warm greetings from Bern
Health insurance premiums will rise by an average of 5% in 2027. Political pressure is growing – at the same time, a reform from 2028 could reduce premiums somewhat.
Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider had to announce bad news today: Health insurance premiums are rising again, this time by an average of 5%. She cited the ageing population, new treatment options and the fact that some people use medical services often as reasons.
For many Swiss households, this increase will continue to put a strain on the budget – healthcare costs are regularly shown to be the biggest concern of the Swiss in surveys.
Even before the announcement of the new premium increases, the Social Democratic Party announced its new initiative “For lower health insurance premiums”. It calls for around 90% of those insured to subsidised with credits for several monthly premiums. This is to be financed by higher federal taxes for the highest-earning 10% of the population, as well as for companies.
However, there is also a small glimmer of hope for premium payers, but not until 2028. From then on the cantons will now also have to contribute to outpatient treatment costs, which are currently borne entirely by the health insurance companies. This will relieve the burden on the health insurance companies – according to calculations by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), this could reduce premiums by around 2% throughout Switzerland.
The Senate is tightening the rules on immigration from the EU. It wants to introduce a new levy in the event of high immigration from the EU.
The EU debate is entering the next round in the Senate. Today it was about immigration. The Senate has adopted additional measures to limit immigration. They supplement the safeguard clause already negotiated with the EU. For example, through an immigration tax that is to come into effect if the safeguard clause is activated. Companies are to pay at least CHF4,000 to hire employees from the EU. A levy of at least CHF2,000 is planned for adult family members who join them. The proceeds are to be distributed to the population. Justice Minister Beat Jans warned of the administrative burden.
The Senate decided on a further tightening of immigration policy: EU citizens who want to settle in Switzerland will have to submit an extract from their criminal record in the future. It also tightened the rules on the right of permanent residence: anyone who is unemployed or receives social welfare will not be able to submit an application for permanent residence for the time being.
In the debate, Justice Minister Beat Jans warned not to forget the Swiss Abroad. “It is important to reverse the perspective,” he said. What applies today to EU citizens in Switzerland also applies to Swiss citizens in the EU. “It is about preserving the rights of these people so that they can live with almost the same rights as the citizens in EU member states,” Jans said.
Emigrate when things get serious? Three Swiss have created a retreat abroad in the event of a crisis.
There are many reasons to emigrate. For three Swiss men, it is the fear of war, they tell 20 Minuten. “I didn’t work all my life to die in a war in old age,” says Rolf. He is 70 years old and has bought a house with land in Thailand.
Together with his wife, he wants to become partially self-sufficient in order to be resilient “when things get tough”. He has bought enough land so that his children and grandchildren can also build homes. Rolf is now moving to Thailand for five months. After that, however, he will return to Switzerland, where he wants to work for another five to six years for financial reasons.
Another Swiss tells how in the event of a disaster he would retreat to his log cabin in Lapland, where he can live self-sufficiently. Another sees his house in Chile as a possible retreat. “The world has gone crazy, especially in the northern hemisphere,” he says.
Automation in the cemetery: In Bern, a robot helps the staff to water the graves.
The Schosshalden Cemetery in Bern has a new employee. He waters graves for hours, doesn’t need a break, never asks for a wage increase.
That’s because he’s a robot. Rainos – his brand name – moves independently among the graves, watering them.
He is quite reliable, but thinking is not his strong point. A reporter from Der Bund noticed that sometimes a statue on a grave gets more water than the flowers next to it. But in the past hot summer, it was a welcome support for watering.
“It’s not about saving employees,” says Hansjürg Engel, head of cemeteries in the city. While Rainos waters, his human colleagues can do other work and talk to the visitors. That’s not one of Rainos’ strengths either.
Translated from German, sub-edited by Anand Chandrasekhar
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